Vital Signs September Issue - School of Nursing - SDSU

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SWISS WISS STUDENT TUDENT LETTER ETTER CONTINUED
ONTINUED
During our stay in Humboldt, California we took
classes in health and nutrition. We became acquainted
with the new food pyramid and spoke
about the differences in our countries’ eating habits.
We also touched on the subject of obesity,
which affects a larger number of people in the
United States than in Switzerland.
We visited the Imperial Valley campus. In Calexico
we visited two hospitals, one of which allowed
us to observe their neonatal unit. The care
which was lavished on the babies there seems to
resemble what we are used to in Europe and in
Switzerland. Besides these two hospitals, we visited the Family Treehouse, which allows parents to stay
and play with their children during the day. We also noticed they use helicopters that are staffed with
nurses and paramedics. In Switzerland we have almost the same system, but it is obligatory to have a doctor
in the helicopter.
In observation and conversation during the different visits of hospitals
and other sites we discovered that the nurses had much more selfgovernment
in the United States than in Switzerland. Their job is better
known and more respected.
During this stay I learned a lot about the health care system in the United
States. Certain things seemed to be the same as in Switzerland, while others
were very different. Two things, however, kept the attention of the
group of students: hygiene and languages spoken by nurses. In Switzerland
we are accustomed to speaking several languages, while in California,
in spite of the proximity of Mexico, most nurses speak only English, while
a good many patients only know Spanish.
Finally, we very much enjoyed our stay. We acquired a lot of knowledge
and discovered another way to live and to treat patients. I would like to
thank all the people involved in making this such a splendid experience
for all of us.